Pull-type snowblower attachment

ABSTRACT

The present pull-type snow blower attachment comprises a housing, a auger and a snow blowing fan arrangement. The housing defines a longitudinally curved surface between two walls. A hitch protrudes away from the surface and is adapted for attachment behind a vehicle. The auger is rotatably secured to the walls of the housing. The auger defines two opposite sections and a middle section therebetween. Each opposite section is equipped with a spiral blade angled towards the middle section, and the middle section is equipped with at least two blades for lifting snow. The snow blowing fan arrangement includes a fan and a chute section above the fan. The fan is between the auger and the hitch. The fan is adapted for receiving snow lifted by the at least two blades of the auger and pushing the snow through the chute section.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of snowblowers, and more particularly to pull-type snowblower attachments.

BACKGROUND

There are two categories of snowblowers and snowblower attachments: the push-type and the pull-type. Some push-type snow blowers and snowblower attachments are installed to the front of the vehicle while others are installed to the rear of the vehicle. The front push-type snowblowers and snowblower attachments are typically a lot more expensive than the pull-type snowblowers and snowblower attachments, rendering them less accessible to many vehicle operators. The rear push-type snowblowers and snowblower attachments are actuated when the vehicle operator moves backward, rendering the snow removal operation less ergonomic. The pull-type snow blowers and snowblower attachments come with their own problems, as they are often considered less efficient and more prone to blockage.

Most snowblower attachments are used with a vehicle equipped with a power system such as a Power Take-Off (PTO) coupler or a hydraulic system. Prior art pull-type snowblower attachments typically consist of a frame with a hitch for attaching the pull-type snowblower attachment securely to a rear of a vehicle. Prior art pull-type snowblower attachments include a auger inside the frame for directing the snow collected by the frame towards an opening in the frame equipped with a fan for propelling the snow in a chute.

Prior art pull-type snowblowers attachments share many similarities with push-type snowblowers, with the main difference being the positioning of their hitch and the snow fan with respect to the frame. Although prior art pull-type snowblower attachments do achieve at blowing snow, these pull-type snowblower attachments come with their lot of problems. One of those problems is the accumulation of snow in the frame, as only the snow in the middle is propelled by the fan.

To alleviate this problem, some manufacturers have added a deflector to mechanically assist in directing the snow towards the fan. Although this approach improves the propelling of snow by the fan, this approach also comes with its drawbacks as not all snow is directed towards the fan, but more importantly, wet snow tends to accumulate around the deflector.

There is therefore a need for an improved pull-type snowblower attachment which overcome the drawbacks of prior art pull-type snowblower attachments.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect, there is provided a pull-type snow blower attachment comprising a housing defining a longitudinal partially substantially curved surface affixed between two walls. The housing is equipped with a hitch protruding away from the partially substantially curved surface between the two walls and is adapted for attachment behind a vehicle. The pull-type snow blower attachment further comprises a auger having extremities rotatably secured to the walls of the housing. The auger defines two opposite sections and a middle section between the two opposite sections, each opposite section of the auger is equipped with a spiral blade angled towards the middle section, and the middle section of the auger is equipped with at least two blades for lifting snow. The pull-type snow blower attachment also comprises a snow blowing fan arrangement including a fan and a chute section above the fan. The fan is proximate to the middle section of the auger, partially above the housing and between the auger and the hitch. The fan is adapted for receiving snow lifted by the at least two blades of the auger and for pushing the snow through the chute section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the disclosure will be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded front perspective view of the present pull-type snow blower attachment;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the pull-type snow blower attachment;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the pull-type snow blower attachment; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the present pull-type snow blower attachment pulled by a tractor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The foregoing and other features will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of illustrative embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like numerals represent like features on the various drawings.

The following terminology is used throughout the present disclosure:

-   -   Pull-type snowblower attachment: refers to an attachment for a         vehicle such as for example a tractor, that is pulled by the         vehicle and activated by the power system of the vehicle.     -   Spiral blade: a 3-dimensional blade turning around an axis at         one of a constant distance or a continuously varying distance,         and moving parallel to the axis, also sometimes referred as a         helix.     -   Vehicle: refers to any mechanically or hydraulically powered         machine such as for example a tractor, trucks, etc.

Referring now concurrently to FIGS. 1-4 there is respectively depicted an exploded front perspective view of the present pull-type snow blower attachment 100, a back perspective view, a front perspective view and a perspective view of the present pull-type snow blower attachment 100 pulled by a tractor. The pull-type snow blower attachment includes a housing 110, a hitch 120, an auger 130, and a snow blowing fan arrangement 140.

The housing 110 defines a longitudinal partially substantially curved surface 112 affixed between two walls 114. In operation, the housing 110 is pulled and collects snow between the two walls 114 and the surface 112. The surface 112 and the walls 114 may be made of any material suitable for winter outdoor conditions, such as for example metal. The housing 110 may further be provided with L-shaped brackets 116 exterior to the two walls 114 and a blade 118. The L-shaped brackets 116 may be made of the same material as the housing 110 or of a different material. The L-shaped brackets 116 may be affixed to the housing 110 using screws and bolts or may alternatively be welded to the walls 114 of the housing 110. The walls 114 may also be equipped with blades 118′ similar to the blade 118. The housing may be made in any material known in the art capable of withstanding winter conditions and forces created by pulling of the housing and snow-blowing of the snow collected by the housing.

The hitch 120 is attached (with screws, bolts, anchors, etc.) or affixed (by welding) to the housing 110, but more particularly the hitch 120 is attached or affixed to the housing 110 in front of the opening created by the surface 112 and the walls 114. The hitch 120 protrudes away from the surface 112 in front of the two walls 114. The hitch 120 may be parallel to the walls 114 or be angled with respect to the walls 114. The hitch 120 may be attached to the housing 110 using screws and bolts or welded to the housing 110. The hitch 120 may be a three-point hitch of any other type of hitch known in the art for attachment behind a vehicle. The hitch 120 may be made of any material appropriate for use in harsh winter conditions and snow-blowing environments.

The auger 130 has two extremities 132 rotatably secured to the walls 114 of the housing 110. The auger 130 has three sections: two opposite sections 134 and 136 and a middle section 138 between the two opposite sections. The opposite sections 134 and 136 are each equipped with a spiral blade 135 angled towards the middle section 138. The middle section 138 is equipped with at least two blades 139 (four shown on FIG. 2 ). The middle section 138 may be longitudinally central on the auger 130, or off-centered on the auger 130. The middle section 138 shown on FIG. 1 is slightly off-centre towards the left of the auger 130 to optimize snow collection. The auger 130 is actuated by a chain or a driving belt 150 connected to a gearbox of the vehicle used to pull the attachment 100.

The driving belt 150 may include a wheel and chain or any other type of mechanical driving system used in vehicles such as for example tractors. The auger 130 may be made of any material known and used in the art for snow-blowing augers. Although two turns are shown on FIG. 1 for the spiral blade 135, the present pull-type snow blower attachment 100 is not limited to such an implementation and could include more or less turns. Furthermore, although FIG. 1 depicts the spiral clade 135 as being of constant distance with the depicted central axle, the present pull-type snow blower attachment 100 is also not limited to such an implementation and the spiral blade 135 of the opposite sections 134 and 136 could be of increasing or decreasing distance from the axle.

The middle section 138 of the auger 130 may comprise two or more blades 139 for lifting the snow received from the spiral blades 135 of the opposite sections 134 and 136, towards the fan arrangement 140. Although FIG. 1 depicts four blades 139, the middle section 138 of the auger 130 may comprise more or less than four blades 139. The number of blades 139 around the axle of the middle section 138 may be even or odd. 11. The blades 139 are equidistant around the auger and substantially radially project from the auger.

The shape, size and longitudinal positioning of the blades 139 on the middle section 138 may be independent of the snow blowing fan arrangement 140 or may be designed to correspond to or complement the design of snow blowing fan arrangement 140. For example, the blades 139 may be substantially square shaped as shown on FIG. 1 , or may be rectangular, partially cylindrical, or made in any shape that permits lifting snow towards the snow blowing fan arrangement 140. The blades 139 may be made of any material known in the art for lifting snow in harsh winter conditions.

The blades 139 are sized and positioned so as to correspond to the bottom area of the fan of the snow blowing fan arrangement 140. More particularly, when in position adjacent to the snow blowing fan arrangement 140, the blades 139 cover at least half of the bottom area of the fan. Various sizes of blades 139 have been tested, and blades sizes of about 50% to 85% of the bottom area of the snow blowing fan arrangement 140 have proven to be effective.

The snow blowing fan arrangement 140 includes a fan 142 and a chute section 144. The fan is affixed to the housing in such a manner that it sits at least partially inside the housing 110 and partially above the housing 110. Furthermore, the fan 142 is positioned at least partly in front of the auger 130 when the housing 110 is pulled, e.g. in front of the housing 110. The fan 142 is further longitudinally affixed to the housing 110 so as to be at least near to the hitch 120, and laterally affixed between the hitch 120 and the housing 110. An axle of the fan 142 (not shown but well known in the art) is connected in operation to a Power Take-Off couple (PTO) of a vehicle pulling the present snow-blower attachment 100. The chute section 144 is positioned above the fan 142. The chute section 144 is pivotally mounted so as to direct the flow of snow expelled by the fan 140. The fan 142 is preferably located proximate to the middle section 138 of the auger 130. In operation, the fan 142 receives snow lifted by the at least two blades 139 of the auger 130 and pushes the snow so as to expel the snow through the chute section 144. The fan 142 shown on FIG. 1 includes four blades mounted on an axle of rotation that is above and perpendicular to the axle of the auger 130. Although FIG. 1 depicts the fan 142 having four blades, the present pull-type snow blower attachment 100 is not limited to such a construction and may include more or less blades. Furthermore, although FIG. 1 depicts the blades of the fan 142 as being rectangular-shaped, the present pull-type snow blower attachment 100 may use blades with different shapes, as known in the art. Additionally, the fan 142 of the snow blowing fan arrangement 140 may be larger than the blades 139 of the auger 130.

To increase efficiency in expelling snow by the snow blowing fan arrangement 140, the number/size of blades of the fan 142 and the number/size of blades 139 of the auger are configured based on the speed of rotation of the auger 130 versus the speed of rotation of the fan 142, e.g. the speed ratio. For example, the rotation speed of the auger 130 versus the rotation speed of the fan 142 when the blades of the fan 142 are half the size of the blades 139 of the auger 130, and there are twice the number of blades on the fan 142 than the number of blades 139 on the auger 130, the auger 130 and the fan 142 may rotate at substantially the same speed. An example of speed ratio that has been tested and proven to be efficient was 3, with the fan 142 rotating three times as fast as the rotation of the auger 130. Thus, the volume of snow lifted by the blades and the rotation speed of the auger 130 must be taken in consideration when designing and operating the fan 142. To adapt to various blades design and number of blades 139, the auger 130 may further be provided with a gear. Furthermore, an operator of the present pull-type snow blower attachment 100 may adjust the rotation speed of the auger 130 and the rotation speed of the fan 142 manually through the chain and the PTO. The fan 142 may be made in any material known in the art of snow-blowing equipment.

To improve snow blowing efficiency, the interior of the surface 112 of the housing 110 is at least partially substantially curved along a length of the surface 112 so as to complement the shape of the auger 130, and more particularly to complement the spiral blades 135 of the two opposite sections 134 and 136 of the auger 130. Alternatively, or complementarily, the interior of the surface 112 of the housing 110 is at least partially substantially curved along a length of the surface 112 so as to complement the shape of the at least two blades 139 of the middle section 138 of the auger 130. To facilitate manufacturing and assembling, both the interior surface 112 and the exterior of the surface 112 may be composed of one or multiple sections of material shaped to complement the shape of the spiral blades 135 of the two opposite sections 134 and 136 and also complement the shape of the at least two blades 139 of the middle section 138 of the auger. The surface 112 may be alternatively be folded to create the complementary interior of the surface 112.

Although the present disclosure has been described hereinabove by way of non-restrictive, illustrative embodiments thereof, these embodiments may be modified at will within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and nature of the present disclosure. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A pull-type snow blower attachment comprising: a housing defining a longitudinal partially substantially curved surface affixed between two walls, the housing being equipped with a hitch protruding away from the partially substantially curved surface between the two walls, the hitch being adapted for attachment behind a vehicle; an auger having extremities rotatably secured to the walls of the housing, the auger defining two opposite sections and a middle section between the two opposite sections, each opposite section of the auger being equipped with a spiral blade angled towards the middle section, the middle section of the auger being equipped with at least two blades for lifting snow; and a snow blowing fan arrangement including a fan and a chute section above the fan, the fan being proximate to the middle section of the auger, partially above the housing, between the auger and the hitch, the fan being adapted for receiving snow lifted by the at least two blades of the auger and pushing the snow through the chute section.
 2. The pull-type snow blower attachment of claim 1, wherein the partially substantially curved surface of the housing is of a complimentary shape to the spiral blades of the two opposite sections of the auger.
 3. The pull-type snow blower attachment of claim 1, wherein the fan of the snow blowing fan arrangement is larger than the at least two blades of the auger.
 4. The pull-type snow blower attachment of claim 1, wherein the fan of the snow blowing fan arrangement is actuated by a Power Take-Off (PTO) coupler of the vehicle.
 5. The pull-type snow blower attachment of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal partially substantially curved surface of the housing is shaped so as to be complementary to the auger.
 6. The pull-type snow blower attachment of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal partially substantially curved surface of the housing is shaped to be complementary to the at least two blades of the middle section of the auger.
 7. The pull-type snow blower attachment of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal partially substantially curved surface of the housing is shaped to be complementary to the spiral blades of the opposite sections of the auger.
 8. The pull-type snow blower attachment of claim 1, wherein the middle section of the auger has four blades and the fan of the snow blowing fan arrangement has four blades.
 9. The pull-type snow blower attachment of claim 1, wherein in operation, the spiral blades of the opposite sections of the auger push the snow towards the middle section of the auger, and the at least two blades of the middle section of the auger lift the snow towards the fan of the snow blowing fan arrangement for propelling the snow through the chute section of the snow blowing fan arrangement.
 10. The pull-type snow blower attachment of claim 1, wherein the chute section of the snow blowing fan arrangement is pivotable for directing snow propelled by the snow blowing fan arrangement through the chute section.
 11. The pull-type snow blower attachment of claim 1, wherein the at least two blades are equidistant around the auger and substantially radially project from the auger.
 12. A vehicle equipped with the pull-type snow blower of claim
 1. 